Amasya University, Turkey
Nihan Osmanagaoglu is an Assistant Professor at Amasya University, Faculty of Education, specializing in psychological research and counseling. With a robust background in clinical mental health counseling, her research primarily focuses on childhood anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and trauma-related mental health challenges. She has gained extensive international experience, having earned her Ph.D. from the University of Reading in the UK, where she investigated the interplay of intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety in children and adolescents.
Profile
Scopus
Orcid
Education 🎓
Nihan Osmanagaoglu completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Reading, UK, between 2014 and 2018. Her thesis focused on Intolerance of Uncertainty, Anxiety, and Worry in Children and Young People: Improving Assessment on Intolerance of Uncertainty in Preadolescent Children, supervised by Prof. Dr. Helen F. Dodd and Prof. Dr. Cathy Creswell. Prior to this, she earned both an M.S. and Ed.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Florida State University, USA, during 2011-2013. She also holds a B.S. in Psychology from Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey (2005-2009).
Work Experience 💼
Dr. Nihan Osmanagaoglu currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Amasya University, Turkey (Nov 2020 – Present), where she teaches courses such as Psychopathology, Trauma Counseling, Child Abuse & Neglect, and Counseling Theories. She also supervises master's thesis research on topics related to secondary trauma, transdiagnostic factors, and post-traumatic growth. Prior to this, she was a Lecturer at Amasya University (Mar 2019 – Nov 2020), teaching courses in Developmental Psychology, Guidance in Schools, Child Abuse & Neglect, and Geriatric Psychology. Dr. Osmanagaoglu began her academic career as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Reading, UK (2014 – 2018), assisting with courses on Applied Psychology, Perception, and Developmental Psychology. In addition to her academic roles, she worked as an Intern Therapist at Florida State University, USA (2012 – 2013), providing counseling to children and adolescents and utilizing animal-assisted therapy and art therapy.
Research Interests 🔬
Intolerance of Uncertainty in Children and Adolescents
Her research explores how intolerance of uncertainty impacts the psychological development of children and adolescents, particularly in relation to anxiety, worry, and emotional regulation.
Trauma and Post-Traumatic Growth
Dr. Osmanagaoglu examines the effects of trauma and the process of post-traumatic growth, with a particular focus on comparing the experiences of LGBT+ individuals to those of heterosexual individuals.
Anxiety and Worry in Young People
She investigates the links between anxiety, worry, and emotional regulation, focusing on how these factors influence long-term mental health outcomes in children and adolescents.
Development of Assessment Tools
Dr. Osmanagaoglu is involved in the development of novel assessment tools designed to evaluate and address anxiety and uncertainty in children and young people, improving diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Publications 📚
Development of a Behavioral Measure of Intolerance of Uncertainty in Preadolescent Children: Adaptation of the Beads Task, Journal: Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. Date: September 2021. Link
Evaluating the Psychometric Properties of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale for Children in a Preadolescent Sample, Journal: Journal of Anxiety Disorders. Date: January 2021. Link
Intolerance of Uncertainty, Anxiety, and Worry in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-analysis, Journal: Journal of Affective Disorders, Date: January 2018. Link